Splice-caller.



No. 852,283. PATENTBD APR. 30, 1907.

M. R. MOLONEY. SPLICE CALLER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 852,283. PATENTED APR. 30, 1907.

M. R. MOLONEY. SPLICE CALLER.

APPLIOATION FILED mm: 22. 1906.-

2 sums-sum: 2.

Illlll'" WIllllllllllllllll-flllll PATENT enrich.

MATTHEW R. MOLONEY,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SPLICE-CALLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 30, 1907.

Application filed June 22, 1906. Serial No. 322,905.

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, MATTHEW R. MoLoNEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident l of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful 1 Improvement in SpliceCallers, of which the I following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement designed to be used in connection with the galvanizing tank or vat used in galvanizing f wire.

It is the usual custom to run the wire to be galvanized from a reel and the wire passes through the galvanizing vat to a wiper, and I it is usually for the operator attending the l reel to call to the wiper-man when a splice in the wire is unreeled, so that the wiper can be lifted to permit the splice to pass through, l and as from twenty to thirty wires are continuously running through the vat the number of the wire is called out. As the wiperman cannot see the splice, he frequently lifts the wiper before the splice has reached the tank and forty or fifty pounds of wire is run through ahead of the splices before the l wiper is again put into operative position, thus passing through several feet of unwiped wire. Also at times, the wiper-man fails to 1 hear the call or to receive correctly the num ber of the wire and the result is that the wire l is broken at the splice and a number of pounds of wire lost in addition to the loss of time.

The object of my invention is to avoid these objectionable features of the present practice and to provide an automatic calling device which is arranged directly at the vat and which will give the wiperman the number of the wire upon which the splice is and ample time in which to lift the wiper without permitting too much nnwiped wire to pass.

The invention consists in the novel features of construction hereinafter described, pointed out in the claims, and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a galvanizing tank with my invention in position thereon. Fig. 2 is a detail plan view of the signal paddle. Fig. 3 is a front view of the paddles, a portion of them being in theirl normal position and one being elevated. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view through the l rear end portion of the vat, showing in elevation an arm adapted to be actuated bya J splice, an arm being shown in its normal position in full lines, and in its actuatedposition right angles in dotted lines, a portion of a wire and :1 splice being also shown entering the vat. Fig. 5 is a vertical elevation with portions of the vat being in section, the view being at to those shown in Fig. 4, certain parts being omitted. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the lower portion of one of the angled arms. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of one of the signal paddles.

In these drawings A represents the usual galvanizing vat, provided at its rear end with.

a .rod A, over which the wire runs and provided with cross bars A under which the wire passes, and these parts are those now in common use. Upon the rear end of the vat A, I arrange standards B which are vertically slotted at their upper ends, as shown at B and in the slotted portions of the standards is held a red C which is movable in the slots and is locked in its adjusted. position by means of suitable nuts (1. Angled arms 1) are pivotally mounted upon the .rod C and to the lower ends of these arms I secure, by

means of suitable set-screws or in any other desired manner, forks D. The forks D are provided with V-shaped slots 1), which open into larger V-shaped slots D, formed at the lower ends of the forks D. The object of these slots will appear in the description of the operation of the device. A rod E is arranged between the standards B and the forks D when in vertical position rest against the said rod. Adjacent the forward end of the vat, I arrange stamhirds F which are also bifurcated at their upper ends and in said hifurcated portion is mounted a rod or shaft F upon which shaft is pivoted a plurality of signal paddles G equal in number to the arms D. These paddles normally rest in a horizontal position and are supported by a rcc tangular wire frame ll. Each paddle is provided with a plate G arranged at a right angle to the blade of the paddle, and normally extending upwardly from the paddle. A plurality of wires J connect the upper ends of the arms A to the upper ends of the plates G and a wire frame K is pivotally mounted upon the shaft F and is normally held in position by means of a spring K which is secured at one end to the frame K and at the opposite end to a supporting bracket K A vertical frame L is carried by the stamlards F, and suspended within said frame is a plate L of any suitable resonate material and in position to be engaged by one of the paddles when the blade of the paddle is thrown into a vertical position. Each paddle is designated by a suitable numeral, corresponding to the number of the wire passing under it. Suitable wires M are also connected to the frame K by means of which the said frame can be swung upon its pivotal points.

The operation of the device is as follows: The number of arms D and paddles G will be the same as the number of wires to be galvanized at one time and the wires will enter the vat A over the rod A and pass through the V-shaped notches D formed in the forks D. It will be obvious that by adjusting the arms D by moving the shaft in the slots B that various sizes of wire can be accommodated. The arms D having been adjusted for the size of wire employed, the wires will run smoothly through the notches D without disturbing the normal position of the arms D. When however there is a splice in any one of the wires the splice will not pass through the notch D but will throw the arm D into the position shown in the dotted lines in Fig. 4, which movement of the arm D will also swing the fork D thereby throwing the wire and the splice into the larger notch D and permitting it to pass on into the vat. The arm D in swinging into the position shown in the dotted lines in Fig. 4, will, by means of the wire J connecting it to its coacting paddle G, swing the said paddle so that its blade will be brought into a perpendicular position and will strike the plate L, and cause the same to ring, thus notifying the wiper-man that a splice has passed through one of the forks into the vat, and the number upon the paddle blade will indicate the wire upon which the splice is. He can then lift the wiper for that wire and allow the splice to pass through. After a paddle has been thrown into vertical position, as shown in Fig. 3, it can be returned. to its normal position again by pulling upon one of the wires M, which will swing the frame K into engagement with the paddle and throw the paddle into horizontal position, the spring K returning the frame K to its normal position.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The device of the kind described, comprising a plurality of signal blades having numerals thereon, said numerals corresponding to the numbers of wires running through a galvanizing tank, and separate means for actuating each blade and bringing its numeral into View when a wire of the corresponding number having a splice therein enters the tank.

2. The combination with a galvanizing tank, through which a plurality of wires are run, a plurality of pivoted paddles having numerals thereon, a plurality of forks through which the wires pass and adapted to be moved by a splice upon a wire, and means connecting said forks to the said paddles thereby moving a certain paddle upon the actuation of a certain fork by a splice.

3. A device of the kind described comprising a plurality of pivoted arms, depending forks carried by said arms, wires to be gal-- vanized being ada ted to normally pass freely through the fbrks, a plurality of pivoted paddles adapted to normally rest in a horizontal position, and means for connecting said paddles to the said arms as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination with a galvanizing vat, a plurality of pivoted normally horizontal paddles, a plate of a resonate material adapted to be engaged by the paddles when the latter are thrown into a vertical. position and means for automatically throwing one of the said paddles into a vertical position when a spliced portion of a certain wire enters the vat.

5. The combination with a galvanizing vat, a plurality of pivoted addles supported above the vat and norma ly held in a horizontal position, a plate adapted to be engaged by said paddles when the latter are thrown into a vertical position, means for throwing said paddles into a vertical position when the spliced portion. of a Wire enters the vat, said paddle indicating the number of the wire having the splice. and means for returning the paddle to its normal position.

MATTHEWV R. MOLONEY.

Witnesses R. B. VAIL, F. L. JoNEs. 

